Atletico Madrid captain Gabi says he knows his team can beat Real Madrid once again in Saturday's Champions League final in Milan.
Atletico were seconds away from winning a first European Cup in Lisbon two years ago, only for Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos to equalise in injury time and his side run out easy 4-1 winners in extra time.
Since that match there have been 10 derbis between the rivals from the Spanish capital, with Atletico coming out on top in their La Liga, Copa del Rey and Spanish Super Cup meetings. But Madrid edged last season's Champions League quarterfinal 1-0 on aggregate.
Diego Simeone's side had put an end to 13 years without a derbi win by winning Spanish Super Cup against Madrid at the Bernabeu in 2013. And their skipper told a news conference in Milan that while all those games were now in the past, his team could use the experience they had gained to pull off another victory on Saturday at San Siro.
"The past does not count for anything," Gabi said. "Neither does having beaten Madrid so many times recently. But we have the experience and knowledge that we can beat Real Madrid, and we will go out to do that again."
The biggest game of all went to the Bernabeu outfit two years ago in the Champions League final -- Gabi said his team had wanted a rematch, and worked hard to get it.
"It was a cruel defeat, but we hoped to get another chance, and we have done that," he said. "What this team has achieved is very difficult, to reach two Champions League finals. With fortune and hard work we are here again.
"I have dreamed of lifting the Champions League, but not since just now, ever since I was small. You always dream big and tomorrow will be a great day for us. It is great to be back here again for all it means -- both in the match and around it.
"Real Madrid play these games with quality, they have top players, a lot of options and it will be the most difficult game for us. But there is no better way to win a Champions League than taking on one of the best around, as Real Madrid are."